Alkaline Based Nutrition for Health

The Alkaline Diet has been receiving a lot of attention from both sides; the ones who claim it does not work, or the ones who use it who have found out its many benefits on their road to recovery – or as part of their healthier lifestyle.

If you don’t want to follow the diet totally, you can still follow the concept of it by choosing the foods that give the best options for balancing your body’s PH level, and to supply you with all the nutrition you need. You can’t really go wrong choosing healthy options.

Your pH level

The pH level in the body should have a neutral level of around 7, a pH level below 7 is not good for health, and this needs to be re-balanced. To address this, the concept of eating a 20% acidic food and 80% alkaline food diet can be introduced. This will not only help balance your body, but you will still get all the protein and fats that your body requires to function at its best. It has also been shown that further benefits are obtained when a percentage of your diet is eaten uncooked and raw.

Healthy Foods

Some of the best foods to include which provide the most nutrition and help to return the body to a neutral level are:

Kale and Spinach – Full of vitamins and antioxidants which are readily available once digested.

Broccoli – High in alkalinity and packed full of nutrients, chlorophyll, flavonoids and carotenoids.

Lemons – Although acidic in nature, they turn to a high alkaline pH in the body. Lemons are full of vitamins and antioxidants.

Avocados – Contain essential Omega-9 oils which help in the reduction of bad cholesterol and help protect against the onset of heart disease.

The full list of beneficial alkaline foods is much more extensive than this and can cater for most people’s taste buds. Think green, and fruit and vegetables.

Juices

As a percentage of your diet should be consumed uncooked, the easiest way is to make juices or shakes. Essentially, these are easy to make and are easy to consume. Some blenders currently have the ability to break the food down to its lowest level, and this retains most of the nutrients which are found in the skins of the fruits and vegetables. Traditionally, these would be discarded by using a traditional juicer. Put everything in; seeds, skins and all.

It is also possible to add seeds and nuts into these juices which also get broken down into a drinkable pulp, and this makes these drinks true super foods. Providing you with many more vitamins, nutrients, and antioxidants than you would be able to obtain by eating.

Alkaline Water

It is now possible to purchase alkaline water; this is a quick way of helping to restore the pH levels within the body, and can sooth acid reflux and help cleanse the colon. It also gives a quick burst of antioxidants and nutrients which help energy levels and raise metabolism.

Health Benefits

A brief overview of the benefits of having a high alkaline food intake are:

A lower risk of major illnesses – Chances of cancer, heart disease and diabetes are reduced.

Slow down the aging process – Builds healthy bones, muscles and protects against renal failure.

Weight loss – Eating healthy will help shed those extra pounds.

Remember, the 80/20 ideal. Then you can still treat yourself with something naughty every now and then, because we are human, after all!

Author Bio:

Maria Banfield is a guest blogger and fitness lover. She enjoys contributing to websites and publications that help people grow. Maria has been a wrtier for many top websites and researching new topics.

Currently Maria contributes to FitandHeal.com